


Sound of Rain

by InfamousWhitePaws



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, High School, Slow Build, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-17
Updated: 2020-04-13
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:13:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 21,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23180749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InfamousWhitePaws/pseuds/InfamousWhitePaws
Summary: Toru Oikawa never knew how much he loved the Sound of Rain.Rain in the winter, without warning, can be dangerous.
Kudos: 3





	1. Shattered

**Author's Note:**

> First chapter I didn't feel comfortable just jumping in so please enjoy this long build up of our main girl,  
> Or jump to chapter two for Toru~

The sound of volleyballs smacking the gym floor or players' hands echoed through the large gym. The audience murmured in the stands as the teams practiced before the match. Three games went on at the same time, making some of the girls nervous for the next team they’d face. Ame stood in line with her team, facing their captain. She wrung her hands nervously behind her back. 

“Alright girls! We made it this far. Day two, round one. We’re against Azabu High. We got this do you understand?! We’re all strong together. Let’s keep up the rhythm we had yesterday!” 

The captain had a stern look in her eyes, but the reassuring smile she had gave the rest of the girls the motivation to fight this round. She held up her hand and one at a time the girls gave her a proud high five. The girls lined up at the end of the court, Ame watched as her captain met the captain of the rival team in front of the ref. They shook hands, flipped the coin and her team called to receive, before returning to the team. They got into their starting lineup. 

Ame loved being in the starting line up. It gave her the rush and motivation to be on her toes and hyper aware of everything. She glanced to her left to look at the bouncing carrot top, wearing a wide grin. Toshiko and Ame were childhood friends, they’d grown up together and played volleyball together. They worked in sync, being spoiled and having so much time together. She was a wing spiker and Ame was her perfect setter. She could read where Toshiko would go, how high she could jump, and see her calculations mid air on where to spike it. Ame never had the height or jump power she did, but that left her able to watch the court and other players to set them up for perfect spikes. 

Ame stood straight and pulled her nearly white, blonde hair into a high ponytail to match Toshiko’s. She’d always had short hair as a little girl, so she was struggling to get used to having long hair during games. But she loved it. Her eyes were burning with excitement as the whistle blew, signaling the start of the game. Azabu team gave a heavy first serve, but their captain to her right received it without issue. Setting the mood for the set.

Ame’s team for Kaisei Academy took the first set, 19-25. But Azabu fought hard for the second set and won 25-22. At the start of the third set, everyone was on high alert. Ame glanced around her team, their white uniforms with dark red details were a mess and stuck to the girls from sweat. Light pants escaped their lips, their hair damp and sticking to their faces, cheeks flushed. Across the court it wasn’t much different. Azabu High’s dark blue uniforms with white details were disheveled from the fight. Ame’s heart was racing, even the time between switching sides wasn’t enough to calm it. She was on fire for this game. Her and Toshiko were on fire for this game. Neither team was giving up this final set without fighting with everything they had.

It was Ame’s turn to serve first for this set. She had to make this serve, ace it even. _Don’t let the girls get discouraged now._ She thought. She had to keep everyone in mind now, not just her and Toshiko. She was trying to show she was future captain material. She was pining for it hard, and she was pushing her friend for vice-captain. 

The whistle to serve brought Ame out of her mind. _8 seconds_ . She shut everything out but the ball in her hands, her feet on the floor, and power she put into her arm. She bounced the ball once, then tossed it into the air. _That felt good._ She breathed. She ran and lept into the air, cocking her arm back before flying it forward. The ball just came into her view as she smacked it. She felt the hit resonate through her entire body. She felt like she was floating for a moment as the ball shot forward. _Keep going._ She landed with a squeak of her shoes and watched the ball. It cleared the net and slammed into the ground between their two back players. They just stared at the ground where the ball had landed and bounced off from. 

Ame stared too, then bent down and let out a throaty yell in victory along with her teammates. She’d been practicing her jump serve for more hours than she can count. She felt pride well up in her throat as her teammates clapped her on the back. The glow in their eyes gave her the drive to serve again and again. She scored the first three points until the other team finally received a serve and the set really began. Ame stayed in for most of this set as well, only swapping for a few points with their second setter. She was definitely favoring her ace Toshiko, but the other strong spiker of the team Aia wasn’t going unused. She was the spiker they expected since she was a little more aggressive and powerful. Which caused blockers to hang around her. Toshiko was a wild card. She could receive the ball then make up enough time to spike it down before they could reach her. 

The set was even more intense than the last two. Both teams were driving to win this set and make it to the quarterfinals. Soon the points were 20-20. Both teams were panting sweaty messes and their throats hurt from yelling. But they didn’t back down. Each serve was just as intense as the first, each spike had just as much power, all their jumps stayed at the same height. Point by point both teams got to 25. Azabu served, Ame’s captain received, and someone somewhere yelled ‘Chance ball’. Ame watched the ball bounce from her captains arms, and over to her. She saw two of her spikers lining up for the shot. Aia jumped, Toshiko jumped, so did the blockers. Then Ame jumped, hands up to set, her eyes darting between her spikers. At the last second, she pivoted her upper body and reached up, her left hand connecting with the ball and she spiked it down. The silence was amplified as the girls landed, their shoes squeaking. The whole crowd for Kaisei erupted as Ame heard Toshiko yell ‘Setter dump’ and high five Ame with enough power to make her hands red. She winced, shaking her hands from the sting as they got back in line for another point. 

_26-25 Just one more point!_ Ame bounced on her toes as their pinch serve was called in. She specialized in float serves, but she was still a first year and was a little nervous after subbing in so much in this game. She was also their last sub, so they couldn’t afford to lose this. Her serve went off without a hitch, just barely making it over the net. But Azabu had a fast libero and she was able to save it. _Dammit_ She clenched her teeth. A few team members yelled ‘Nice serve’ for encouragement. Ame got into position, watching the ball bounce from Azabu’s captain to setter to spiker, who got through Kaisei’s blockers. Their own Libero saved the ball from the back row just in the nick of time, and Ame lifted her hands, making a split second decision. Again the shot lined up, both spikers ran and jumped, Ame yelled out ‘Aia’.

The blockers fell for it and jumped in front of Aia, leaving their carrot top open. Toshiko had jumped just a little too late, but that was just what they needed. Everything happened in slow motion. Ame set the ball behind her and watched upside down as it connected with Toshiko’s hand, flew over the net, and landed just inside the corner lines. Ame and her teammates' eyes met for a split second, both grinning. Then her eyes widened, and Ame tilted her head back up to look at Aia. The burn of anger in her eyes was stunning. Ame felt her left foot land, pressure against her knee, and then she heard a crack deep in her ears followed by the fire of pain ripping through her knee and her leg. Her throat burned with the sudden scream that came out involuntarily. Her whole body collapsed and her vision went white as she felt the cold floor against her forehead. 

\-------------- 

Ame took a deep breath, staring at the looming building in front of her. It wasn’t like her to get nervous. It was only school after all. She had been gone a few weeks into the school year to recover some more. Her doctor hadn’t felt comfortable with her entering such a busy area so soon. 

“Alright, come on you got this.” She siked herself up, opening the cab door. She climbed out slowly, before reaching in and pulling out her crutches. She adjusted her new accessories under her arms then made her way to the school gate. The students started noticing her and staring, while a few gave her pity smiles seeing her condition. _Don’t look at me like that dammit!_ Ame thought, nodding in return. She hated it. Hated the looks they gave her of pity and sadness and ‘oh my god so it’s true.’ She made it to the lockers and huffed. She had heard her sister-in-law Shiho came a few days before and changed her locker to be on the floor, so she wouldn’t have to bend to change her shoes. 

Even that was a struggle, and she was getting frustrated already. Simple tasks she never thought twice about were suddenly a two person job for her. She took a few deep breaths in and out to calm herself. She wouldn’t get angry, not like at home. She was ashamed at how angry she got this morning when Shiho helped her get dressed. But it wasn’t directed at her, it was directed at the large bandage on her knee, covered in a brace to keep it contained. She hated looking at it.

“A-Ame-chan! Ame-chan you’re here!” A high pitch voice yelled from the courtyard. 

She turned just in time to see a flash of bright orange hair before a heavy weight rested on her shoulders and chest. She stumbled against the lockers, trying to keep from standing on her leg. 

“Ame-chan I missed you so much!” The girl cried, her eyes glossy. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming back today?!”

“Ah, I texted you last night Toshiko!” She shouted, pushing the girl off her. She looked up at the taller girl, a bright teary smile across her face. Ame patted her head and laughed. “Don’t cry on me now. I've had enough of that!”

Toshiko sniffled and went to her locker to change shoes. “Okay okay! I won’t cry. I'm just so happy you’re back!”

“Yeah, I’m so happy to be back too.” 

“At least pretend you’re happy to see me. Especially since we only have a few months left together!”

“Yeah yeah..” Ame sighed. “You don’t need to remind me.”

Ame and Toshiko walked slowly to class together. She was thankful they shared a class, at least she’d have help. She noticed that her friend was a little fidgety though, looking around every few minutes as they walked. 

“Something wrong Koko?” She asked. She used the childhood nickname knowing it would get her attention. 

“Ah! What? No! I swear!”

“Kokooo?”

“Aaaaame… Okay, don’t freak out..” She hesitated, “But like, Aia is still here…

Ame froze. Her whole body was cold as she stopped in front of the classroom. She stared at Toshiko with wide eyes. 

“Ame..” Toshiko said, touching her shoulder. 

“Excuse me? What the fuck?! She's still here?” Ame snorted, an angry laugh coming out. She couldn’t believe it. “You’re lying right? This is just a joke!”

Toshiko shook her head and looked around. “No..no I wish it was a joke but it’s not. I don’t know what you heard but she was just suspended for the time you were off. Her dad’s a big donor to the school...they got her back in.”

Ame didn’t move. She couldn’t move. She was stunned in disbelief. She went through all this shit and was happy to come back to a peaceful school life and it was all a lie? She had to come back to hear the one who shattered her entire future was back here with no issue?

The bell rang and Ame finally snapped out of it. She was pushed by Toshiko into the classroom, ignoring the gasps and sad looks. She sat down at her desk, leaning the crutches against the wall. She gave the obligatory recap of her well being and thanked everyone for their help in her recovery. At least she didn’t have to worry about being behind in school. She’d caught up in the hospital with the help of her friends bringing her schoolwork.

The day went by without a hitch, and Ame had slowly calmed down throughout the day. She didn’t share any classes with Aia and didn’t need to see her after school. Toshiko had assured her that even if she was back in school she wasn’t allowed on the volleyball team. Ame wanted to visit them and see her friends again. But she was definitely nervous. The thought of being back on the court after so many weeks made her feel sick. Toshiko had gone to change, so Ame waited outside the gym. Her friend didn’t take long to get changed before being at her side again, and they walked in together. 

Ame took a few steps in and stopped, the sensation of her crutches on the smooth hard floor felt..forgein, and unnatural. She felt tears sting her eyes as she looked around at the familiar area. The stark white lines on the floor matches the net that seperated the gym, the black scuffs across the floor sticking out. It smelt of sweat and plastic, and the only sounds were her and Koko’s steps as she limped across the court. 

“Ya know..” Ame broke the silence, her voice wavering as she held the tears, “I’ve never felt so much hatred before.. So much hatred and anger and sadness. It’s overwhelming.” She faltered, tears sliding down her cheeks. 

Toshiko came up and half hugged her, trying to shield her crying as the rest of the team filed into the gym. The gasps and ‘oh no’s’ and ‘she’s back already?’ Ame wiped her eyes and turned to face the girls, some were already crying for her as they all noticed her bandaged knee.

“Hey girls..” She said, lifting her arms in a classic ‘oh well’ stance. That opened the floodgate on everyone. Almost all the girls started crying, including Ame again, and taking turns hugging her carefully. The room was filled with sobs and ‘i’m sorry’s as the girls took their time getting their emotions out. Most of them had seen what happened, better than her and they hadn’t had the chance to see her or accept what really happened. Eventually all the girls were sitting in a circle and chatting about everything that’s happened while Ame was gone, eyes swollen. School news and drama, rumors and whispers, who was dating or who broke up. It definitely lightened the mood to sit and talk like they used to.

One of the girls finally mentioned they should start practice, and slowly the group stood. Ame was helped up by a few girls and settled onto her crutches. “Never get these things, they suck!” She yelled, moving across the court. Some girls let out a giggle. She headed to the door and, with a final wave, limped to the school gate. She saw the familiar red car and smiled. The driver door opened and her brother Takano stepped out, walking around to open the passenger door for her. He helped her sit and shift her legs inside, closing the door. He tossed her crutches in the back seat before getting back in and driving off.

“How was your first day back?” Takano asked. Ame groaned and rolled her head on the headrest. 

“Come on _Dad_ you don’t need to ask this.” She mumbled.

Takano laughed, which made her laugh in return.

“Okay okay fine. At least tell me how your knee was?”

“It was fine. It hurts but so do my back and armpits.”

“Well the doctor said once you get used to that much walking again, you’ll be able to get rid of them. He said about two weeks. So just be careful.” Takano repeated what she heard from the doctor, rolling her eyes. 

“Yes _Mom_. I’ll also eat all my veggies and take my medicine.” Ame mocked him, earning a small slap at her arm. She was happy they were back to being regular siblings, not having Takano fawning over her every breath since the incident. That was Shiho and her actual mother’s job now. She was thankful to be back home after the hospital for 4 and a half weeks. 

_Speaking of home.._ She thought as Takano pulled up to a quaint little house in a quiet neighborhood. Shiho and her niece Kana were waiting in the driveway. She opened the door and Kana ran up to her, grabbing her arm to “help” her out of the car. They were both giggling, even as Takano yelled at Kana to be careful. She welcomed the rough treatment. Everyone was acting like she was a fragile butterfly and she hated it. 

“Careful Kana, I need to be slow, remember?” She said, standing and limping to the back seat to grab her crutches. She adjusted them under arms and walked into the house behind Kana who took dramatically slow steps into the house. Shiho and Takano followed behind them laughing.

\--------

The clattering of metal against the school floor echoed in Ame’s ears. Her head was throbbing and her left calf hurt from the pressure on it. 

“Oh look at poor little Miss Tachibana.” A voice called, followed by laughter.

“Just stop..leave me alone.” Ame let out a weak yell as her leg was bent outward, flat against the floor from being stepped on. Her knee was burning in pain which brought tears to her eyes. She looked up to see Aia and two other girls laughing at her. One girl grabbed her crutches and threw them down the hall, the clattering sound echoing.

“Boo hoo, poor Ame here is crying. Does your knee hurt? Maybe I should fix it.” Aia said, mocking her and lifting her foot off her leg to stomp. 

“Aia, I think someone is coming!” One of the girls said. The second chimed in agreement and Aia stepped back. 

“Fine, you’re lucky this time but don’t think this is the last you’ll see of us.” She spat. She turned and ran off with the other girls.

Ame laid on the floor panting and crying. She couldn’t move. She didn’t want to move. Everything hurt and was blurry from her tears. She finally sat up and wiped her eyes, looking up at whoever was coming down the hallway. She heard the person yell before running over to her, helping her to her feet and handing over her crutches. 

“Ame are you okay?! What happened!? Was it Aia again?” The frantic voice was familiar. So was the bright orange hair tied into a high ponytail. “Did she do anything to your knee?”

Ame leaned heavily on her crutches, shaking her head at the questions. She didn’t have the strength to answer them. She thankfully didn’t have time to attack her knee. But what about next time? Or the time after that? Ame had been at school for two months and Aia had started going after her relentlessly. She didn’t let up and would seek Ame out when she was alone. Takano had noticed the bruises and kept questioning her, but she refused to talk in case he worried or got involved. It would only piss Aia off more. 

“Just..help me get to the gate. I don’t need her coming back.” She said quietly. Toshiko nodded and walked with her to the lockers, helped her change shoes, and led her to the car waiting for her outside. 

“Ame, talk to him.” Koko said sternly. 

She hated when she used that voice. It was Koko’s “mom voice” she used during volleyball too. But she was right. Ame couldn’t put up with this and she was in no position to fight back like before. 

Ame nodded, “I will. Maybe I can ship off to live with Kanade. You’re leaving me so there's no reason to stay.” She laughed a little. “Your party is this weekend right?”

“Yeah, go live with her or your dad up north! And you better be there! I refuse to leave the country without my best friend seeing me off!”

“I know. I’ll see you off at the airport too, don't forget.”

“Right!”

The girls stood in silence for a long time before her brother got out of the car, signaling to them it was time to go. They said their goodbyes and Toshiko ran off towards home, while Ame got into the car. It was a quiet ride most of the way. Ame sighed and opened her mouth.

“Taka-” 

“Do you want to switch schools?” He interrupted. 

Ame froze, looking over at him. His dark blue eyes were focused on the road, matching colored hair dull and messy.

“I heard you two. I saw the bruises. I know you’ve been crying.”

“Ah, well see…”

“Father called today. He’s been promoted. He also needs to move to Tokyo for this promotion and he’s taking it.”

Ame’s breath hitched. She couldn’t stop staring as he spoke. His voice was low and rough, not the usual soft and warm Takano she knew.

“He doesn’t want to give up the house. You know they love that house. Mom would still be there if she could be alone. But she also loves it here. Shiho taking care of her makes her feel safe, and helping with the daycare gives her something to do. She can’t leave. I can’t leave. We can’t move there because of my work. I know you’re struggling and I know Toshiko is leaving for America next week.”

The last sentence gripped Ame’s heart. 

“I suggested you move there, you can go to school with Kanade and see Aunt Etsu. Mom would be happy someone could keep an eye on her sister, and the house.” He chuckled, “I didn’t tell him about Aia, and I won’t. But I won’t sit back and watch her potentially ruin the work you and the doctors have put into healing your knee. It’s almost winter break too. It’ll be an easy transition.”

Ame rested her head back, taking it all in. Could she really move away? He was right. Koko was leaving the country, who was her best friend here. She didn’t hangout with any other students much, especially with her injury. She could hide her injury at a new school. If it was during winter break, she wouldn’t need crutches anymore and she could just wear stockings or a bandage. Kanade would understand. She’d help her hide it.

“You can take some ti-”

“I’ll do it!” She shouted.

Takano jumped a little, glancing at her.

“I’ll go! I’ll move to the old house and transfer schools. Winter break sounds like a good time! I can ask Kanade where her classes are and catch up during the break. And I can explore the city again!”

While Ame was talking Takano had pulled up to the house and parked.

“Are you sure? You’d be living all alone in the whole house.”

“Yes! I can do it! I’ll have Shiho teach me to cook and I’ll be fine!”

“Alright. Well, let’s go inside and break the news. I haven’t told Shiho about this yet and Kana is going to be heartbroken.”

“Aw, poor Kana. I don’t know if I can handle her crying..” Ame whined. 

“Yeah we’ll deal with that when it happens.” He said. He got out of the car and walked around to help her out. But she was healing quickly and didn’t need much help anymore. She only used her crutches when she wanted a break or when she slept wrong. 

“You can deal with it. She’s your child.”

\-----------

Ame let out a big sigh as she dropped a box on the bed. She sat next to it and leaned back on her hands, letting her head fall back. She was exhausted from two days of moving and she still wasn’t done. Takano and his family had come to help on the first day. They moved the main furniture like her bed and dressers. But the 10 boxes of books she had brought they left for her. 

“Ah man, why did I have to take so many books?!” She whined. 

She leaned forward and lowered her head between her knees. 

“I’m done for now.” She said. She stood up and looked down at her clothes. She was wearing red pajama shorts, a white long sleeve and some matching fluffy socks. It wasn’t an awful look but not something she wanted to present herself in at her new school. She had a week to go before school started back up. It was time to visit and get her classes and school uniform. She was definitely nervous but Kanade didn’t let her forget she had her around to help. She was glad to have her around.

But Ame knew she wouldn’t always be there every step of the way, so today she had “accidentally” forgotten to mention she was heading to the school. She walked to go alone and be able to explore. To be able to find her way around the school and surrounding area alone. Walking to her closet, she pulled out a navy crew neck sweater and threw it on over her long sleeve, thankful for the extra layer then grabbed some black jeans and exchanged them with her shorts. She tucked the pants into her socks before heading into the living room. She scanned the room for her backpack, which she had left on the kitchen island counter, and slung it over her shoulder and went to the doorway. 

She paused for a moment, before tossing her backpack down and sitting down to push her boots on. They were a little tight from the socks but she knew they’d be warm for the walk. She then stood, pulled on her gray peacoat, wrapped a gray scarf with navy and dark gray details around her neck, grabbed her backpack again and trudged out the door. The air was sharp on her face and it shocked her lungs, but she kept going. She lived a good distance from school, about 10 to 15 minutes but it couldn’t be helped. It was better than taking a train every day, and she would get better at walking.

Her mind drifted to her knee and she realized it was freezing cold. She purposely forgot her brace. The cold air felt strange on her bare skin and scars after getting so used to having it covered. At least with school she could wear stocking and not draw any attention to it. 

She paused and turned her back to the wind and it rushed around a corner of a brick wall. It was brutal out today but she couldn’t delay any longer in getting to school. She turned the corner and soon the school came into view. It was just as plain as her old one, besides the front gate being black instead of green, and the layout was slightly different. She stopped in front to read the words on the plaque on the front of the gate.

_Aoba Johsai High School_

“Aoba Johsai High School.” She repeated, breath clouding through her scarf. Ame liked the sound of that. Even though it was a private high school, it still sounded better then ‘Academy’. The word academy always made her feel stuck up. She slipped through the small opening of the gate and made her way inside quickly. The relief from the cold was immediate as she changed into a spare pair of school shoes they left for her. She followed the directions they gave her and made it easily to the main office. She entered the room and bowed.

“Hello! My name is Ame Tachibana.” She chimed.

There were a few teachers and who she assumed was the vice principal in the office. He stood and bowed to her.

“Welcome! I’m glad you found the office okay. And I hope the weather isn’t too bad!” He said, noticing her bundled up appearance. 

“Oh no problem! I really enjoy the cold anyway.”

“Well that’s different. Most people prefer the summer heat.”

Ame shrugged as she unwrapped her scarf and just laid it across her shoulders. She sat down at the man’s desk and started filling out the rest of her paperwork. Thankfully it wasn’t much, Takano had taken care of most of it. She was run through what classes she would be in when. She placed in class 2-1. Once the paperwork was filled out, she was handed her school uniforms. She stuffed them all into her backpack and put it on. The vice principal stood and left the office, and she followed, welcoming the tour of the building. The outside looked similar, but the inside was completely different to her.

The school looked and felt cold and eerie, which was expected but it wasn’t how she thought her first “day” at her new school would be. The man walked her around to her class, the lunch room and library. He showed her the sports fields outside, pausing at a row of large windows to point out the gym. The moment they left the hall she swore to never go near there. She had _no reason_ to be there. 

Their tour ended back at the front lockers, and she packed all the rest of her papers and things into her backpack. She bowed and thanked him, before changing her shoes and braving the cold again. She was grateful the wind died down, but it was still freezing out. She tightened her backpack straps and decided not to explore today. She also decided to mentally map out her route to school. She took a left outside the gate and headed down the long road. She walked for a few blocks before a group of boys rounded the corner, laughing and joking loudly with each other. Ame pulled her scarf up over her nose, wearing it like a mask as she ducked her head and walked by them. She glanced over and noticed they had white gym bags with teal details. 

She also noticed a few of them were pretty damn attractive. The two in the lead were the taller of the four. One had thick messy black hair and his eyes were closed from laughing. Standing next to him was a man with almost unnaturally light brown hair, with a pinkish hue. His eyes were also shut against the wind. There were two shorter boys behind them, a little more details visible in their face since the wind was blocked. One had dark olive green eyes and spiky dark, almost black hair. He had a wide grin on his face and his eyes crinkled from laughing. The one next to him who was loudly laughing and waving his hand was beautiful for a man. His chocolate brown hair was swooped perfectly despite the wind. His eyes were the same warm brown and, even hidden behind his glasses, she could see the light of laughter in them.

She had only meant to glance, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the group. She was thankful the cold and her scarf could hide her flush. It should be illegal for this many attractive men to be together. She had to avert her gaze when the wind picked up and blew her hair from outside her scarf, catching the eyes of the boy with glasses. She had to pull her scarf down to tuck her hair back in, fully aware of the redness of her face. She refused to look back over, instead she hid her face back into her scarf and turned her head away from them, swiftly walking past. She just wanted to get home now. 

Ame finally made it home and stripped off all her winter clothing. She dropped her backpack at the door and ran into her room. She pulled off her jeans and sweater and pulled her pjs back on. Even her fluffy socks came off since her feet were hot now. She was sandwiched in that awful feeling of being cold from being outside, but was too hot from all the layers she had and being inside for more than 30 seconds. It was also because she couldn’t stop thinking about those boys she walked past.

“Aah man! How can that be fair?! I swear I hope they aren’t normally around here. I can’t handle _all that beauty_.” She groaned. She walked out into the living room, then the kitchen and got some cold water. She took a few gulps before refilling it. She went to the couch and settled down, pulling a blanket over her legs and turning on the tv to whatever nonsense was on. Ame grabbed a book to read, really hoping for some peace and quiet time but that was cut short when her phone rang. 

_Kanade_ _< 3 _popped up on screen and she hesitated. Her obnoxiously loud groan echoed through the house as she picked up the phone.

“Hey Kanade.”

“Ame-chan!”

“Can I help you?”

“Oh my god you’re so rude.” Kanade yelled. 

“You’re welcome. You have all the nice genes of the family.” Ame could hear the wind rushing through the phone speaker. She rolled her head against the back of the couch and threw the blanket off her.

“Ya know, just for that you’re forgiven!” Kanade laughed. “So what’re you doing?”

“Well I was trying to relax.” She walked towards the door.

“Oh relaxing sounds fun!” 

“Yeah it was.” She reached over and unlocked the handle.

Just as Kanade said “I could use some relaxation” over the phone, she burst through the freshly unlocked door. Her laugh echoing as Ame stood at the door, green eyes narrowed at her cousin. She slammed the door shut to keep the cold out, stripping out of her winter gear and shoving a bag of food at Ame.

“I brought dinner to relax with!” She said.

“Wow, thanks. Really! I didn’t know I was hungry.” Ame chimed, walking to the open kitchen and spreading out the take out boxes on the island counter. Her cousin joined her a few moments later, sitting on the closest stool to the edge. Ame chose to stand as she ripped open a box of yakisoba noodles and scooped them into her mouth. Kanade stared at her wide-eyed.

“What?” Ame snapped.

“You’re a monster.”

“Wow.” 

Kanade laughed and shoved a huge scoop of rice into her mouth. Both girls started laughing as their cheeks were full of food. They tried not to choke as they finished off their food quickly. Once done, she cleaned it all into the garbage before going back to her warm blanket on the couch. Kanade joined her with some juice from her fridge and they chatted about nonsense while watching the tv.

“So have you visited the school yet Ame?” Kanade asked.

“Uh yeah, I did earlier.” She said, winking and sticking her tongue out.

She gasped, “And you didn’t tell me?!”

“Nope! I went all by myself!” Ame flipped her hair triumphantly. 

“Well how did it go? Did you get everything you needed? See the classes? See the gyyyyymmmm?” Kanade dragged out the last word, making Ame’s eyes narrow again.

“Yes. I saw it. What about it?” She asked coldly. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked away.

“Whatcha think?” She pried.

“Stupid.”

“AME!”

“KANADE!”

They both started shouting at each other. 

“COME ON AME!"

“SHUT UP!”

“GROW UP!”

“FUCK OFF.”

“YOU FUCK OFF.”

They sat in silence for a good 5 minutes, just staring at each other. Eventually they started making faces at each other and busted out laughing. These girls were definitely related. If they weren’t so close in age they could be sisters. Cousins were good enough because they didn’t have to live together. They fell back into friendly banter. Kanade had learned to lay off the gym talk for now. Ame was still sore on that topic even though it had been over six months. But she couldn’t force her, as much as she missed her cousin in that area. Time dragged on and before the girls knew it it was too late for anything good on tv, and the street lights were on.

“Ah shoot, I should probably head home.” Kanade chimed. She stood and stretched.

“You sure? It’s super dark and cold out. You can stay here tonight.” She offered, looking out to the back door. The wind had picked back up and it was very faintly snowing. 

“Can I? Sleepover?!” 

“Yeah yeah! I don’t need you freezing to death out there.”

“Yaaaay.” Kanade jumped and hugged Ame around the shoulders. 

“Go take a shower and I’ll set up the bed.” She hugged back, patting her shoulder.

Kanade nodded and bounced off towards the bathroom while Ame went to her bedroom. Kanade had chosen to use the spare bathroom instead of her’s, but she wasn’t gonna argue. She had taken over the master bedroom in the house, but kept the spare bed and bath set up and stocked in case anyone had to stay over. Which came in handy now. She grabbed Kanade a pair of her pajamas, then pulled out extra pillows and blankets for them. 

Ame went to the bathroom to get ready for bed too. She stared at herself in the mirror, squishing her cheeks. Her pale skin was emphasized because of the winter season. It didn’t help that her hair was also unnaturally pale blonde, and pin straight thanks to her mother. Almost white most people said. She never went a day without someone asking about it’s color. She leaned forward and stared at her eyes. Her eyes were a dull gray, just adding to her weird, almost dead person look. Why couldn’t her eyes stay green all year round? At least that would be something normal about her. She shook her head and started her nightly routine. Once Kanade was changed and the girls were settled in bed, they tiredly chatted about school the next week. 

Ame realized she hadn’t told Kanade about the boys she saw, but it was too late. She’d tell her later. The girls fell asleep in the warmth of too many blankets.

\--------------

“Kanade come on! I really didn’t plan to be late on my first day of school!” Ame yelled. She was standing in the foyer of her cousin's house, waiting for her to walk to school together. Since it was still winter, Ame started getting hot from being inside and bundled up.

“I’m almost done!” A voice yelled from down the hall.

Ame groaned and undid her scarf. She pulled her hair out of her coat and to the side, then proceeded to re-tie her hair in a side ponytail after the scarf loosened it. She was trying not to overheat as she waited for Kanade.

“You have two more minutes or I’m leaving!” She called. 

A loud groan was her answer, followed by something clattering to the floor and quick footsteps. Kanade finally came into view. She wore her school uniform without the beige sweater they were given. Her honey brown hair was done up in loose curls. A proud smile on her face.

“Whatcha thiiiiink?” She chimed, spinning to show off her curled locks.

“It’s cute. Now hurry up.” Ame answered, wrapping her scarf around her neck and mouth.

“You didn’t even look!” Kanade pouted as she pulled her coat on and stuffed her feet into her shoes, annoyed. She grabbed her bag and followed Ame out into the cold.

“It looks great Kanade. I just needed you to get moving.” She laughed, “But I see you’ve been practicing your curls!”

The girls talked about their hair while walking. Ame complimented Kanade’s honey color and how she admired its beauty and warm tone, while her cousin fought back that Ame’s nearly white hair was cool and mysterious. They talked about styling and argued if short or long hair was better. 

Once the school came into view, Ame stopped. She inhaled deeply, the cold air stinging her lungs. She didn’t think she was nervous until now. She looked at the building and just stared. Her mind kept reminding her that she didn’t need to go to class right away, but she couldn’t make her legs move. Kanade had noticed her stop and waited a few minutes for her.

“Come on Ame, it'll be fine! We’re in the same class, remember? So you don’t have to be alone!”

“Right..right.”

Kanade grabbed Ame’s arm and pulled her along to the school gate. She didn’t get nervous, so why was she now? She had even come to the school alone last week. What changed? _Maybe I’m scared of those boys._ Ame chuckled at her thought, earning a side eye glance from Kanade.

\-------------

Ame stopped at the bottom of a set of stairs, watching clouds form around her as she caught her breath. She was running late to pick up her neighbor from her after school club. She glanced up at the stairs before walking up to the first landing, pausing to look around. Ame had started to notice the chocolate haired boy she saw before school last winter break was around sometimes. He’d either be just leaving when she arrived or would be speaking with a little boy. She didn’t think he would notice her from that passing but she didn’t want to take any chances. Scanning the courtyard, she determined it was safe.

“Mika-chan!” Ame called, waving her hand above her head. She ran up the stairs to said club courtyard and knelt down. A little girl with blue black hair ran to her and hugged her with a squeal. 

“Tachi-chan!” The little girl yelled.

“Mika-chan how was the club today?” She asked, turning away from the courtyard and prompting the girl to climb onto her back. She pulled her hair to the side, turning slightly to look at the girl.

“It was so much fun! Takeru and I played a lot today too!” Mika chimed, jumping on Ame’s back and giggling when she let out an ‘oof’ noise.

Once she felt little arms around her neck, she grabbed the little girl's legs and stood up. Takeru, she had learned, was related to the boy she dubbed Chocolate Hair somehow. Ame looked down at the steps as she walked and listened to Mika talk about her school day and time playing. It was the beginning of April so it was still chilly some days, and having the little girl on her back kept them both warmer than just walking. They just hit the last step of stairs when a faint yell drew their attention. 

“Takeru-kun!” Mika yelled, shifting her weight and removing one arm to wave behind them. Ame didn’t turn around. She knew Chocolate hair would be with him and she didn’t want him to see her. Hopefully he didn’t recognize her hair like she did his. “I’ll see you next time!” 

Ame waited for the boy to yell a goodbye before walking away. Her and the little girl got back to chatting aimlessly all the way home. The girl could take for hours about absolute nonsense, which always made Ame laugh until she almost cried. She had such an imagination for everyday things and Ame wished she could go back to that time. She would’ve loved to have Mika as a friend. Soon they were in front of Mika’s house, which was right across the street from Ame’s. She’d met her neighbor the week of her moving in, since they had come over to introduce themselves and help her move. She knelt down to let Mika get off, and watched as she opened the gate. She was met at the door by her grandma, Sho Hayashi. Ame waved as they went inside, then hopped across the street and went home.


	2. Discovered

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summer rain could be just what you need.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did my best to capture Oikawa and Iwaizumi's personalities outside of the court~

“Mika-chan!”

Toru Oikawa’s eyes snapped over, staring down the hall at the familiar sound as he left class. He scanned the hall before catching the sight of the source as it came again.

“Mika-chan! How could you?!”

He stared at the girl calling out to another down the hall, his eyes widening at the sight. Her white blonde hair swayed as she moved farther down the hall. Giggles and light shrieks came from the group of girls as they spoke.

_It’s her. She’s...here?!_

He thought, taking a few steps forward. That was cut short when someone gripped his arm and yanked him backwards.

“Who would dare…” He cut off as he turned, meeting Iwaizumi’s intense stare and he shrank back.

“Where are you going? We have practice you idiot.” He said sternly, dragging Toru down the hall and away.

“Aw come on Iwa-chan!” He pouted, pulling his arm away and walking next to him. But his lips spread in a grin at his realization. “I just made a major discovery!”

“What are you talking about?” Iwaizumi cocked an eyebrow, watching him grin. He knew Oikawa didn’t pay much attention, so it must be good.

And good it was.

Oikawa stacked his hands behind his head while heading to the club room, “Remember when I mentioned a girl I noticed at the same club my nephew goes to? The one with the almost white hair?” He peered over at Iwaizumi.

“You mean the one you’ve never seen her face and, surprisingly from you, have never spoken to?” Iwaizumi asked, still watching him.

“Yeah yeah, her!”

“What about her?”

“She’s here!”

“She’s here? Do you have _her_ name at least?” Iwaizumi asked, pulling the door to the club room open.

Oikawa froze for a split second before following, “Not even close.” He said, laughing.  
\---------------------------

“Mika-chan!” Ame yelled down the hall, walking quickly to a group of girls down the hall. “Mika-chan! How could you?”

She let out a soft laugh as the girl she called hid behind another, laughing just as much. “I’m sorry Ame-chan! Forgive me!”

Ame joined the group of girls, laughing as she spoke, “Mika-chan I had to take all the punishment alone! How could you leave me there?”

“I’m sorry! But I just had to get to _my boyfriend’s_ practice!” She said, hiding her flushed face in her hands.

The other girls gasped and squealed at the comment. Letting out matching ‘oohs’ and ‘finallys’ at her.

“Aww Mika how cute!” Ame giggled, smiling brightly for her friend. She was so happy to hear they finally got together, having watched them both fumbled around with their crushes on each other.

She watched as the girls chatted about crushes and nonsense, before switching to school work and club activity talk. She brushed her hair from her face, adjusting her bags in her hands. Giving a parting wave and another congrats to Mika, Ame turned and headed to her club room. Thankfully it wasn’t far so she could sit down. Pulling open the door, the scent of old paper and ink hit her. She inhaled and stepped in, cheerily waving to everyone in the Newspaper Club. “Hey Kyoko!” She chimed, looking at the young girl anxiously sitting by the window.

“Ah, h-hello Ame!” She said, standing and bowing. She had kind of adopted the first year as a younger sister, helping her around the school and with homework. Her bright blonde hair made her stick out, so Ame wanted to make her feel welcome at least in the club. It made Ame smile how nervous she got still. They hadn’t been friends long, since Kyoko transferred a month before summer break and was allowed to join the club late. Summer break..aah Ame couldn’t wait another month for it.

_It’s still early in the year, she’ll make friends easily._

Ame knew Kyoko would be fine. She was a fast learner and was already getting good with editing for the club. She set her bags down, one on a seat and the other on the table. Unzipping it, she pulled out her camera and matching lenses to assemble them. After adjusting and fiddling with the setting, she sat on the sill and pointed her camera out the window and snapped a few shots of the trees outside the window. The spring breeze was good for motion practice.

The sound of the club door sliding open drew her away from the window, watching as the club president joined them. “Sorry I’m late.” He waved a hand and smiled..

She smiled and slid down to a chair, waiting for Akio to start their meeting. It went off like most do, running through what this week’s paper would be about. Akio designated the season term school activities and breaks to Reiko. Kyoko ended up getting the chance to walk around and start interviewing clubs.

 _Lucky punk._ She would have loved the chance to run around, snapping photos and playing interviewer.

But what Akio planned for Ame surprised her. So much so her chest tightened and she almost felt a little sick. Was this a prank? Had Akio found out and thought it would be funny?! No, she couldn’t believe that. She’d done well to hide what happened.

“Ame,” Akio spoke again, “This was a special request from both coaches of the teams for us to cover. Since you’re the best I’ve seen with capturing motion in photos, you are perfect for the job!” He said, much too excitedly to be a prank.

“You’re going to make a special covering Aoba Johsai’s Volleyball Teams!”

Ame feigned excitement at the news, her fingers gripping into her thigh until the meeting ended. She heaved a sigh, finally able to leave the room. The meeting ran late yet again and she just wanted to go home.

“That’s so exciting! I’m jealous of you Ame. The boys’ volleyball team is amazing this year, and I hear…” Kyoko trailed off, her cheeks glowing. Ame knew she’d comment on the boys’ looks, but she wasn’t going to argue. The younger girl was right, this year the team was on fire. Set to go to nationals, and she agreed they had some super cute players on the team now.

Ame giggled, “You’re right Kyoko. Maybe once I get a little into the project you can tag along!” She chimed, laughing more as Kyoko stuttered at her.

“Aaah! W-what?! I mean…r-really?” She asked quietly, hopefulness in her tone.

After only a few minutes Kyoko bid farewell to Ame and ran off. Ame sighed again, adjusting her bags as she headed to the front door. _I can’t believe this… Of course it just HAD TO be me…_ Ame was frustrated. Frustrated and sad this had happened. While swapping her shoes, she stared down at her knee. 

Tapping her feet to adjust her shoes, she started heading home. Every time she moved her camera bag Akio’s words echoed in her mind. Why? Why did she have to do it? Why couldn’t Reiko? Why did she have to be good at photography? Why did it have to be volleyball?! She felt small while walking home.

The warm breeze did nothing to banish the chill in her bones. She just wanted to crawl into bed, hide under her thick comforter and never come out. It was going to be a rough rest of the year.

Ame sunk into her comforter, her mind racing. She’d be back on the court tomorrow. She hadn’t been anywhere near a gym since that day. Her hands rested on her knee with a sign. 

“Uuuugh, what am I gonna do? I need to keep myself busy so my crybaby side doesn’t show up!” She rolled back and forth in her bed. She finally stopped when her arm flopped off the bed. She stared at the floor thinking. “I’ll just start organizing the spreadsheet. Then I can stare down and not watch..”

She hummed, her mind tangling in the newspaper world until she finally fell asleep.

\--

Ame was blinded awake as the sun came into her room. She groaned and rolled over, laying there before getting up. Slowly getting ready, she was obviously dreading the day. She pulled her vest on and slowly tied her ribbon as she walked downstairs. Making a small breakfast, she munched on as she pulled her stockings up. Her fingers rested on her knee before finishing. 

She grabbed her stuff, slipped on her shoes and took her time walking to school. But once there the day flew by, much to her dismay. Everyone spoke about studying, finals, and plans for summer break. Ame was just looking forward to spending time lazing around. She’d most likely hangout with some friends and explore the town, but the comfort of home was the best for her. She heaved a sign as the final bell rang. 

_Time to get over this…_ She thought, packing her stuff slowly and heading to the gym behind the school. Just before she entered, she changed into her white gym shoes with yellow accents. The yellow wasn’t necessarily allowed, but she didn’t have the heart to clean them yet. Then she headed into the gym, thankful no one but the coaches were there.

“Hi there!” She chimed, bowing to the coaches. “My name is Ame Tachibana, from the Newspaper club.”

“Ah, welcome Ame! This is perfect! I knew we’d get through to Akio.” The older coach laughed, “I’m coach Nobuteru Irihata, and this is coach Sadayuki Mizoguchi.” The younger coach smiled and waved. 

“Akio was really excited about this too! He’s impressed how the boys have stayed so strong these past three years. He wants to make a back to back, two page spread for each team. Each player will have an in action photo of what their strongest play is. Under that a snippet of info will be included. Does that suit your expectation?” Ame asked. She felt confident in this set-up, even if she hasn’t actually told Akio about it yet. 

“Ah, yes, that’s perfect! I’d request to make the third year students at the top of the list though. This is their last year, and they've been strong all three years.” Mizoguchi added.

“Oh yes of course! It’s only fair.” She agreed. The sound of boys voices and familiar shoes squeaking on the gym floor made her shiver. She had braced herself for this but it still made her stomach knot. She walked over to the wall and set her bags down, hearing the coach call the team for a meeting. Ame rolled her shoulders, something made her feel off. As if someone was staring at her, their eyes boring through her back. She was about to turn when the younger coach came to speak to her. 

“So, Ame you said? I was wondering if the coaches would be involved in the spread too?” He asked, looking down with dirty blonde eyes that matched his hair. 

“Of course! The coaches are possibly the most important team members!” She said, “The players may have the talent, but the coaches keep them in line and are able to hone that talent to make the best team.”

“Perfect, I’d really like to highlight Coach Irihata in this. He’s done so much for these kids and really done an amazing job refining that talent you mentioned. Especially our captains, who you’ll meet later.” Mizoguchi finished off and stepped to the side, Coach Irihata joining him to let her finally speak. 

When Ame finally looked at the team, she felt her cheeks flush just a little. They had quite the cast of attractive players, no wonder the boys team was so popular. All about the same height too. She didn’t recognize some, so they must’ve been first years. Her eyes finally landed on one player in the back, staring intently back at her. 

_That’s..Chocolate Hair! Why is he staring so- Oh god is there something on my face?!_

She couldn’t think about that right now. Ame bowed before speaking, using a light but steady voice. “My name is Ame Tachibana! It’s nice to meet you all.”

\------------------------

Oikawa didn’t expect much from his school days. It was a month before summer vacation, so everyone was preparing for finals. He didn’t expect anything unusual or surprising. The day to day classes, the consistent confession or question to date a girl every few days. He just wanted the days to be over so he could head to the gym for volleyball. 

Volleyball is the most important thing to him. He just kept up his grades to keep playing. 

Heaving out a sigh, he headed to the club room to change. He joined in on the jokes and conversation, poking fun at Mattsu or Makki with the others. “Iwaizumi, we should practice some spikes today with the first years.” Toru said, following him out and down to the gym. 

“Yeah? Alright. I agree Kindaichi could use some pointers.” Iwaizumi said.

They stepped into the gym, Oikawa getting distracted by some chatter as Iwaizumi stared across the gym. He didn’t realize Iwai wasn’t with him until he heard a chuckle, “Well, this is unexpected.”

“What’re you talking about Iwa-chan?” He chimed, walking up behind him. “What’s unexp-” He inhaled sharply as he stood at Iwaizumi’s side, following his gaze across the gym. What he saw was definitely... _unexpected_. 

Standing in front of the team’s coaches was a female student, dressed in her school uniform. She wore the lilac short sleeve shirt girls got for the summer, tucked into her skirt, with her beige vest over top. Her light brown skirt had purple accents to match the shirt, and cut short to show a bit of her thighs. She had black stockings from her mid-thigh down and white gym shoes with..yellow accents? But he didn’t care for that. What he cared about was her hair color. It was the same as..as..” _Her_.” He said aloud. “It’s her.”

“Aah, so that’s the girl?” Iwaizumi asked, raising an eyebrow. When Toru didn’t respond, he laughed, grabbing Oikawa’s shoulder and dragging him when the coach called a meeting.

Toru couldn’t stop staring. He couldn’t believe it. The girl he’d been trying to find since the beginning of the year was standing..right here in the gym. Iwaizumi dragging him was the only thing to snap him out of it. He cleared his throat and composed himself.

Coach Irihata cleared his throat and spoke, “Alright guys, practice will go on as usual today. We’re going to practice spikes and receives today, so Oikawa and Yahaba will alternate setting. Now I have an announcement. Since this year is the last for our third years, and our first and second years are already a team to compete with. Both coach Ahmya and I decided to make a special request.” 

He paused while looking at each individual player. Toru met his eyes just in time, having learned his trick. He wasn’t getting called out today. Then he went back to staring at the girl next to Mizoguchi, both their backs turned as they spoke. _Could she just face forward for once!_

He clenched and unclenched his fists, irritated. Every time this girl was in range she never looked at him. 

“This year we’re going to have the Newspaper club run a special on the Volleyball teams! Let’s welcome her, and listen to her.” The coach finished and stepped aside to join Mizugochi. 

The girl finally took a few steps toward them and looked up. Toru inhaled sharply again. He couldn’t take his eyes off hers. They were a beautiful forest green, and he noticed a ring of yellow circling her pupil. They were shining with excitement. He could tell a few of the others gasped at her appearance too. Which he didn’t like. But he couldn’t stop staring at her delicate features. Her pale skin emphasized her eyes and softness of her face. 

Oikawa also noticed the slight color in her cheeks. His hand twitched ever so slightly, he wanted to feel that heat against his fingers.

The girl bowed at the team before speaking, her voice light but steady, and louder than he expected. “My name is Ame Tachibana! It’s nice to meet you all.” 

_Ame..Tachibana…_ Toru exhaled, repeating the name in his head. Finally, he had a name and a face for her. And my god was it beautiful to him. He could feel Iwaizumi watching him but he didn’t care.

“It’s nice to meet you!” The entire volleyball team bowed in response.

She smiled again, sending Toru’s heart fluttering. “As coach Irihata mentioned, the newspaper club is writing a special on both volleyball teams for this year. Each player will be given a space just for them in a two page spread, with a photo and a little snippet about each player.” Her voice was soft, but confident while speaking to the boys. “I’ll have to admit I don’t know official terms for players, so you’ll have to help me once I start writing.” She let out a nervous giggle and smiled.

Toru eyed some of the boys as she spoke. He could tell a few were already into her. _Sucks for you guys._ He snickered, earning a bop on the head from Iwa.

“Pay attention Shittykawa.” Iwaizumi mumbled. Toru rubbed his head. 

“I will also be around taking photos of each player. I've been assigned this because I specialize in motion photography, so I’ll be able to capture a clean shot mid play.” She chimed, feeling no shame for the self boasting. “So please, give me some time to learn about you!” She finished, bowing again to the boys.

The boys slightly bowed back as she stepped away, walking to her bags resting on the floor. Oikawa noticed a few of the boys watching as she moved away, whispering and nudging each other. The coaches ran over how she’d just be watching this first week so don’t stress about trying to impress her. Toru could see her crack a smile at the comment, pulling a notebook from her bag. She stood and walked back to Mizoguchi, opening her notebook. 

“Oikawa, Iwaizumi, come here a moment!” The younger coach called. 

Oikawa strolled up with his usual confidence, watching Ame as she scribbled things down. “This is our captain, Toru Oikawa, and his vice-captain, Hajime Iwaizumi.” Mizoguchi said.

“Yoo-hoo.” Toru said, waving with a bright smile. Iwa giving a more subtle wave. 

“It’s nice to meet you both!” She said, smiling with another flush across her cheeks. “I’d like to ask if I can have the boy’s practice schedule?” She tilted her head up at Toru, stunning him for just a moment.

“Oh, oh yeah of course!” He stuttered, “We take Mondays off but-” He was cut off by the coach Irihata calling him. “Toru I need you to set for the team!” 

Toru stares before letting out a huff. They could have finally spoken and here he was getting pulled away again. Iwaizumi patted his shoulder with a chuckle, and Toru narrowed his eyes at him.

“We’ll have to chat another time. Don’t be mean Iwa-chan!” He called, then walked across the court and got into position, watching Iwa and Ame.

She wrote quickly as Iwaizumi spoke, stealing glances up as he filled her in on their practice times. He didn’t mind it was Iwa talking to her, but when they both started laughing he was a little curious. What could be so funny about scheduling?

Iwaizumi soon joined the practice and they both got lost in the game. But Oikawa kept glancing towards Ame. She paced around the gym, scribbling and erasing things with each pace. Soon she started to pack her stuff up, heading over to say goodbye to the coaches before exiting the gym. Toru huffed but didn’t let his face show his disappointment. Practice ended shortly after and Oikawa hung back with Iwaizumi when they headed home. 

“Well well well,” Iwaizumi started, catching Oikawa looking quite dejected. “I didn’t think you’d be so pouty about it.”

“I’m not pouty!” Toru argued, “I’m annoyed. Iwa-chan she was right there! And of course today of all days we have to practice spikes!” He grumbled, rubbing his eye.

“Well, you said yourself Kindaichi needed practice.” Iwa snickered. He knew what Toru meant but it was fun teasing. 

Oikawa glared at him, he knew he was being teased but it didn’t lighten the mood this time. He had finally met the girl from the club. Yesterday he saw she went to his school, and now he had finally learned her name and seen her face, and even better she’d be hanging out at their gym for the next unnamed amount of weeks! He rubbed his eyes again and groaned. 

They walked home chatting about the day and rest of the week’s practices. He didn’t want to drag Iwa down, talking more about Ame. _Ah, I can finally use a name.._ He thought, his lips twitching. They parted at an intersection and Oikawa trudged the rest of the way home. He couldn’t get her out of his head now.

“Ame Tachibana..” Toru whispered, a grin spreading across his face. “I hope you plan to stay a while.”

\--------------------

Ame let out a hard sigh as she trudged home. She was finally out of the gym and away from the noise. The silence around her was welcomed. 

“Man, I don’t know if I can do this.. And tomorrow I have to go see the girls?! Aaaahhh!” She yelled, throwing her head back and covering her eyes with her forearm. She walked a little more like that before lowering her arm and head. “What am I gonna do? Good thing I know the girls will be easier to deal with.”

The warm smell of food told Ame she was almost home, and was extremely hungry. She had had a small lunch since it was only leftovers. She stopped at her new favorite side street and picked up two servings of teriyaki yakisoba with chicken. She didn’t normally get take out, but she knew there was nothing in the fridge to cook and it was too late to shop. She would go after school tomorrow, thankful the girls’ practice was in the morning so she had time.

After she made it home, changed into pjs and settled on her bed, Ame opened her laptop to start outlining the newspaper spread while eating. She sighed at the heavenly flavor of the food and mentally swore to tell everyone she could about this place. 

“I’d cry if I could never taste food ever again.” She spoke to herself, “I mean, I don’t even know how it’d happen but damn please never let me lose my taste buds. They’re _my buds_ after all.” She laughed, stuffing another scoop of noodles into her mouth. She ate and typed until she was done with both, then sat back and watched some videos. Her mind wandered back to meeting the volleyball team. Specifically their captain, Toru Oikawa. 

“Toru Oikawa huh?” She drummed her fingers on her leg, “I guess I’d meet you eventually, but this was not how I thought.” Ame closed her laptop and curled up in bed, pulling the blanket up to her nose. She closed her eyes and thought about the first time she saw Toru, which was at the club his nephew and her neighbor went to. She had seen him picking the little boy up, and every once in a while her neighbor, Mika-chan, would say bye to him but Ame never made eye contact with Toru or his nephew. She was too nervous. She made sure to never wear her school uniform there, and never have anything to give away she went to his school or knew him. 

Ame shifted and rolled over, letting out a soft sigh. She _thought_ she had done a good job but she knew he must’ve recognized her. Or at least had an idea. The way he stared at her while she spoke about the newspaper, the way he looked at his vice-captain while they spoke. 

She had even noticed him glancing at her during his practice. Even if she had watched him too. Who wouldn’t? She cracked a smile.

Toru was definitely attractive, evident by the constant girls who would confess to him or ask them to date him loudly everywhere during school. She knew he had fangirls and didn’t really want to ever be on the receiving end of their madness. Oikawa’s ex girlfriend dealt with that when everyone found out she left him. For such a stupid reason too. Ame snorted, curling up to keep warm. Who would break up with someone because they practiced too much? Ame couldn’t understand how that would be such a bad thing. She shook her head and willed herself to finally fall asleep. 

\--

Ame’s blaring alarm woke her up instantly. She shot up and looked around, before slamming her hand down to silence her alarm. She groaned and rubbed her face. _6:30 am_ It was an hour earlier than she usually got up. The girls had morning practice so the boys could practice after school, which was really going to kill her when she started visiting both during the day. 

“I’ll just use study time as nap time.” She mumbled, taking her sweet time to get ready this morning. Everything was in slow motion for her. She could not fully wake up. Even as she shuffled to the kitchen and made a quick breakfast of toast. Finally able to feel like a real human, she grabbed her bags and slid her shoes on. Making her way to school, she enjoyed the cool morning breeze blowing through her hair. 

“Hmm, this is nice. I bet this would feel amazing at the beach..” She inhaled, “I should call Takano tonight, see when he’s visiting.” 

When she finally got to school, she went straight to the vending machine and got herself a coffee. She cracked it open and took a big gulp before heading to the gym. She could already hear the girls having a meeting when she swapped her shoes outside of the door. The girls got into their stretches, eyeing her as she entered and headed over to the coach.

“Good morning!” She chimed, “My name is Ame Tachibana, and I’m from the newspaper club.” She bowed to the coach.

The girls coach was a sight for sure. She was a middle aged woman with lush black hair, tied back behind her. She had soft eyes and a friendly smile which put Ame at ease. 

“Welcome! My name is Ahmya Yokoyama, I’m the coach for the girls volleyball team.” She said, “I’m glad Irihata and I got through to Akio about the paper.”

Ame giggled quietly, remembering the boys coach had said the exact same thing. “Akio was really excited about this too! He’s impressed how the girls have performed this year and really think they have a shot for nationals! He wants to make a back to back, two page spread for each team. Each player will have an in action photo of what their strongest play is. Under that a snippet of info will be included. Does that suit your expectation?” She tilted her head, no shame in having said basically the exact same thing to each coach.

“Yes, that sounds acceptable. I would ask that the third years be put front and center. They’ve worked hard enough for it.” Ahmya said. 

“Oh yes of course! We’d also like to include a spot for the coaches. They also worked hard to keep these teams at their peaks.” Ame said, looking over as the girls started practice. She stood and watched for a moment before a familiar body burst through the gym doors, panting.

“I’m here, I’m here!” The girl yelled, leaning over to catch her breath. She stood and inhaled, her eyes roaming before meeting with Ame’s and a grin appeared. “Ame-chaaaaan!” She yelled.

Ame rolled her eyes, meeting the other student halfway across the gym. “You’re gonna be in trouble Kanade! How did I make it before you?” She chimed, giving a stern karate chop to her side.

“Ow ow ow! Ame-chan don’t be so meeeeaaan!” Kanade cried, picking a spot to start her stretches. “Anyway! Are you here for the newspaper?! I’m so excited for you!”

“Well you’re the first.” Ame sighed, setting her bag down and grabbing her notebook.

“Whaaat? You’re not excited to be back..on the court?”

“Not a chance.”

Kanade narrowed her honey colored eyes, pulling her hair back into a ponytail. “Ame..I think you should lighten up. At least you’re still here doing something you love.”

“Yeah, the second thing I ever loved doing...not the first.” She mumbled.

“Aaaaaame!” Kanade called, throwing her arm over Ame’s shoulder and leaning in close. “I know it hurts but..it’s almost been a year. Maybe you can start trying to..I dunno..toss some balls around..?” She questioned hesitantly.

Ame blinked a few times and stared at the girl. She couldn’t tell if she was joking or not this time. “Absolutely not! Never again! I don’t need that in my life right now.” She snapped, shrugging off the arm and walking away. “Now help me figure out who does what around here.”

Kanade sighed and followed Ame as she stretched, listing off the girls on the team and who was in what position. Ame scribbled it all down hastily, mentally noting to rewrite it later. When the coach called them to start practice, Ame stood on the sidelines and drew up a mock outline of the newspaper, then started laying out the order of the girls for photos. She drew the boxes and wrote down measurements, matching them to a proper newspaper size. Then she started writing names in the boxes and what photo shot she’d like to use. 

“Ah man, I gotta redo all this for the boys. Maybe Mr. Oikawa can help with that..” She giggled.

“What’s so funny about Oikawa-san?” Kanade asked with a mischievous grin.

“O-oh, nothing!” She stuttered, before thinking of a way to cover herself. “I was just saying how I’ll probably have to ask him for all this stuff..” 

“Uh huh. You could always ask Iwaizumi-san!” Kanade chimed and her cheeks turned pink. “I bet he’s so nice he’d help in a heartbeat..”

“Now Kanade, don’t be so obvious.” She whispered, glancing around. 

“Aaahh, but he’s just so handsome and powerful! Man I wish I could spike like him.”

“Maybe you should ask for tips from him!”

Kanade stared at Ame like she’d just slapped her, “Are you crazy?! There’s no way I could do that!”

“But you said he was soooo nice, he’d help in a heartbeat! You’re both the ace of the team, I’m sure he’d love to help his fellow ace out!” Ame repeated. She opened her mouth to speak but the coach called for Kanade, leaving Ame to watch the girls practice. She took a seat against the gym wall, then busied herself with matching the girls to a spot on the newspaper outline. 

The girls finished practice without much incident. Ame packed her bag and stood, waiting for Kanade to finish getting scolded for being late. She covered her mouth to hide her laughter, hearing the punishment of 20 extra laps next practice. Kanade bowed and took it without complaint, then walked over to Ame.

“Well that’s gonna burn tomorrow.” She said, “Are you coming in the morning?”

Ame nodded, walking about halfway to the clubroom with her. “Yeah, and then I’ll visit the boys in the afternoon. I’m gonna be so tired.” She groaned, stretching her arms above her head. “Curse me, I can never have a easy going, pleasant summer can I?”

“Aww come on, you get to spend it with me!” Kanade whined.

“Yeah...that’s the problem.”

“You’re so meeeeeaaaaan Ame-chan!” 

The girls laughed and said their goodbyes, Kanade going to change and Ame headed to her classroom. The day went by as per usual, no interesting events or gossip. Just more talk of summer break. There was less than a month before summer break, but now she couldn’t even enjoy it. She’d have to be at school for both the girls’ and boys’ volleyball practices. Everyone else was worried about exams but all she wanted to do was laze around. Ame had hung out in the library again during an afternoon class, opting to get some more work on the newspaper in. 

When the final bell rang, Ame took her time leaving. She had texted Akio and said she was going to look over the paper outline and plan the girls pages out some more. The boys could wait an extra day. Being confined to the gym with all the energy the boys gave off made her uneasy. She was used to the girls, they were much quieter and less intense, but still played with the same determination. She also remembered she had to buy stuff to cook food so she wouldn’t get take-out every night. 

Ame went to the grocery store a few blocks from home, taking her time to look up recipes and gather the ingredients for them. She was glad to get family size recipes, since it made it easy for her to have leftovers for a few days and not have to cook every single night. 

“Thank goodness I had my school bag, there's no way I’d be able to carry all this.” She signed, adjusting the bag on her shoulder. She carried three more in her hands. She took her time heading home, enjoying a cold breeze. 

“Oh, shoot I was gonna call Tanako..maybe he'll still be awake!” She said, pulling out her phone and dialing.

“Hi hi Takano! How’s it going?” She chimed, a smile spreading across her lips. They dove into conversation like they were side by side. Joking and talking about their lives and what the new news was. Ame mentioned her summer break and having his family visit. Her smile faltered at something he said, causing her to let out a light but loud whine into the night air.

“Taaaakaaaanooooo! How could you do this to me?!”

\------------------------------------

Oikawa had been a little dejected all throughout practice. Ame hadn’t shown up today and he couldn’t understand why.

“Wasn’t she supposed to be there every day for the newspaper?!” He whined, rubbing his face.

Iwaizumi groaned. 

”Sorry Iwa-chan..” Toru huffed, stacking his hands behind his head and staring forward. “It’s just...I finally noticed her at school, she’s in class 3-7, so she’s smart! She has a few friends but spends a lot of time reading or taking photos all over the place!”

“Uh huh...sounds like you’re stalking her.” Iwa mumbled.

“I am not! I’m just..trying to learn about her!”

“Then why don’t you actually talk to her?” 

“I haven't really had the time to, with studying for finals and practice.” Toru sighed. “I just catch glimpses of her around.” 

“Well I have some news for you then.” Iwaizumi looked over. Figuring he could maybe help, or hinder, this clusterfuck Toru started. 

“Yeah? Aww Iwa-chan you’re helping me?! I’m so touched.” He chuckled, earning himself a slap to the shoulder.

“She doesn’t go to gym class.” 

“What?”

“Yeah. No gym class.”

“How?”

Iwaizumi shrugged, staring forward.

“How do you not go to gym class?!” Toru yelled, waving his hands around. “That’s the best part of the day!” 

“Stop asking me! I just know she doesn’t go! When I went to the library for a class project a few times during the afternoon, I noticed she was always in there. I didn’t realize who she was until you pointed her out yesterday, and just mentioned she’d in class 3-7. They had gym class in the afternoon.” Iwaizumi huffed. That was a mouthful.

Toru stared at him, raising an eyebrow in thought. “So she hangs out in the library… Well it’s a start! I owe you one Iwa-chan!”

“Yeah you do.” Iwaizumi agreed with a grin.

Toru and Iwaizumi walked halfway down the street chatting aimlessly, almost to the crossroad they split at to go home. When suddenly a loud but light whine cut through the quiet.

“Taaaakaaaanooooo! How could you do this to me?!”

The boys stared as a familiar figure stepped up to the crosswalk at the end of the street. Ame had a phone to her right ear, a bag slung over her shoulder. Three more bags of food swayed in her left hand. Toru’s eyes widened, and Iwaizumi chuckled. They continued to walk closer to her, slowly and quietly. They were definitely eavesdropping. 

“Takanooo! How dare you! If you don’t show up with Kana-chan I’m gonna-” She cut off, her face lighting up. “Aah, Kana-chan! How’s my big girl doing?!” 

Oikawa watched as she chimed and cooed, talking to someone called Kana-chan. Who could this be? He wanted to know so much. He wanted to know who could make Ame laugh and smile like this. As they got closer to the crosswalk, he saw her face darken again and the words that came out made him shiver.

“Takanooo,” She sang in a sickly sweet voice, “My summer break is soon, and I swear if you do not bring that beautiful bundle you somehow created and the mother of said bundle when you visit, I’m gonna make sure you can’t make anymore.”

Iwaizumi choked while holding back a laugh, while Toru was covering his mouth in fear and laughter. Thankfully she didn’t notice them yet. 

“Break starts on the 20th of July, so you _three_ can come visit the end of August and we will _all_ have a blast. Got it? Good. We’ll even plan a beach day! Now, lemme talk to that wonderful wife of your’s…..” Ame finally crossed the road and disappeared while chatting. As soon as she was out of range the boys burst out laughing, tearing up. 

“Iwa-chan! Did you see her face?!” Toru yelled, his face a rosy pink. 

Iwaizumi nodded and coughed to compose himself. “Dude, are you _sure_ about this?”

“More than ever now!” He tried to catch his breath. He was more determined than ever to learn everything he could about Ame Tachibana. “I can’t give up now!”

They stood at the crosswalk for a minute before walking away from each other.

“Oh! By the way Iwa-chan!” Oikawa called.

“Yeah?” Iwaizumi didn’t turn around as he asked.

“Looks like we’ll have a beach date soon!”


	3. Unnerved

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rain can be a blessing or a burden.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ohoho is someone learning what it's like to fall for someone?

Ame stood in front of the gym doors. Her heart was pounding and her stomach was in knots. She had already been here and introduced herself, so why was she _so nervous_ to go back in. It was only two days later. She had skipped yesterday to work on the newspaper. She had been here this morning to meet the girls again. So why was entering the gym this afternoon for boys practice so nerve racking? She stared down at her shoes, bright yellow accents almost glowing in the sun.

 _Come on, come on you can do it!_ She hyped herself up, starting to bounce on her toes. 

She counted to three then grabbed the handle and opened the gym door. The sudden rush of air and noise was the sign she couldn’t back out now. She stepped into the gym and she felt all eyes on her. She shut the door behind her and turned, giving a soft smile and waving. 

“Hello everyone!” She chimed. 

She heard a few of the boys return her greeting, while the rest got back to practice. Her eyes scanned the boys. They were having a practice match. _Perfect._ She thought. It was just what she needed to start photographing them. Her eyes then landed on a familiar head of hair, his back turned to her. 

Seeing his swoop of chocolate hair made her crack a smile. She’d thought a lot about Toru Oikawa the past two days. She also wondered if they’d be able to talk today. After all, she did need to ask him about the positions everyone played. She could ask Iwaizumi but, something told her that wasn’t a good idea. 

“I could get something for Kanade though..” She covered her mouth to hide her giggling. 

Ame had moved to the wall of the gym, far away from any stray balls or boys. She set her bags down and knelt down. Did she want to start with photos or details? After a few minutes she decided to start with photo practice. She needed to get a feel for how the boys moved and played. How they worked together and who was usually where on the court. 

“Coach Irihata, Coach Mizoguchi,” She called, bowing slightly to them. 

“Ah Ms. Tachibana! So glad to see you again. We thought the boys scared you off.” The older coach laughed. 

“No no, don’t worry.” Ame said, waving her hand up and down twice like she was patting the air. “I just had to talk with Akio about the paper yesterday.”

The three talked about what Ame was planning for the day. She was going to just walk around and study the boys today, while shooting. She had a good lense out today so she prayed everything went okay. After getting the okay to move around, the coaches made the announcement she’d be walking around so they should be a little careful. 

“No worries, coach. I promise, I’ll keep myself out of trouble.” She gave him a sweet smile. 

When she looked back at the court, her eyes met warm brown ones through the net. Instinctively she gave a small smile, and was surprised when he returned one. She forced herself to look away, feeling heat cover her cheeks. She shook her head to get rid of the color. _Don’t start now._

Ame took a deep breath and knelt down on her right knee on the side of the court. She flipped the screen up and positioned the camera on her knee, angling it up to the boys. She just did some simple shots of them moving around the court, not focusing on moves yet. She’d get to that later. 

Ame walked around the court shooting for most of the practice. She didn’t specifically focus on certain people, but she’d be lying if she said she didn’t get some high quality Iwaizumi spike shots for a certain someone. Sifting through the photos, she couldn’t hide her smile. She was happy with how the photos turned out, and the subjects of them. It was a good start to shooting the players, but she’d definitely have to work on photographing serves.

“Speaking of positions..” She murmured, packing her camera away and pulling out her notebook. 

She turned to a clean page in a messy yellow notebook and scribbled the title _VB Boy’s Player Position_ on the top. Then she made columns down the page for her to write their name, number, position, and year. Once that was done she looked around the court. She spotted Iwaizumi, Oikawa, and the brownish pink haired boy talking by their water bottles. She took a deep breath and walked over to them.

“Excuse me.” She said lightly.

She could hear the nervousness in her voice suddenly, praying Oikawa didn’t. He turned to look at her and his eyes widened, the other two boys peered around Oikawa at her. 

“Oikawa-san, could I ask for your help?” 

He stared down at her with those warm eyes, and it unnerved her. She blinked and held his stare. Did he even hear her? Was he going to laugh at her or deny her help? Would he push her off to Iwaizumi? 

“Of course you can, _Tachi-chan_!” He said, making Ame tense to hide the shiver down her spine, “But please, just call me Toru.”

Oh no. He knew. He definitely knew. He had recognized her from the club. She should’ve worn hats or something. No one but her neighbor Mika called her Tachi-chan. She opened her mouth but closed it when Iwaizumi smacked Oikawa on the shoulder. 

“Oi, _Shittykawa,_ don’t give other people your stupid nicknames.”

“Ow Iwa-chan, that hurt!” He cried, rubbing his shoulder. 

Ame giggled as they argued, looking up when their talking stopped. She found the three staring at her. 

“Ah, so, I need to ask..about the boys’ positions.” She said, tapping her pen to her notebook. “I-I mean, what positions they play.”

Toru glanced back at the other two boys and with a nod, they walked away, leaving them alone. 

“Do you have any volleyball knowledge?” He asked, stepping a little closer to her side. 

Ame swallowed. She could feel the heat radiate off him from practicing and she was getting nervous. She hoped she was good at hiding it. 

“A bit. I know there are setters, spikers, and those who block the ball. Oh, and the one who’s in a different outfit than the rest.” She answered with a nervous laugh. 

Oikawa was still looking down at her, watching like a hawk. She looked up at him. He really was quite handsome. And seeing him in his practice clothes still sweaty from playing made Ame flush. She was still a high school girl after all. 

“Well, you’ve got the basics down.” He said, flashing her a smile. “Let’s start with the Liberos. They’re the ones in the different colored outfits. We have Shinji Watari, he’s a second year Libero, so he’ll be around next year.” Oikawa pointed to a tan skinned boy with buzzed hair. 

“Most of the team is built up of wing spikers and blockers, so we have enough places to attack from anywhere on the court. We have two main setters, which is common, but Watari can set too for a surprise attack.” He continued, beaming at his last comment, “But it’s a long list for the rest, so I hope you’re ready.” 

“Yes of course! You need to jot down a lot of info quickly to be in the newspaper. I can handle it.

Ame had confidence in her voice. He narrowed his eyes a bit and had a faint smirk.

“You can hm? Alright then.” He said, and started to ramble off each and every players info in rapid succession. 

He would point them out as he spoke and she mentally noted them all down by some tell of their hair. They all have different hair besides a few, like Iwaizumi and Matsukawa, but Iwaizumi definitely had a more intimidating look. She kept up as Oikawa spoke, scribbling everything down. It wasn’t perfect but it was all there and she understood it.

“Wow. That is quite a list.” She noted once they were done. She had filled up the whole page with information.

“Did you doubt me?” He teased, leaning down to her eye level.

“Me? Doubt Oikawa-san? Never.” 

“Good. Don’t forget it either.” 

“I don’t forget.” 

Oikawa stood straight up. He opened his mouth to say something when the ones he called Mattsu and Makki came up behind him. 

“If you’re done flirting Captain, the coach is calling a meeting.” Makki said. Mattsun laughed at the comment.

Oikawa jolted and turned around. He started to argue with them, walking away together. Ame took this time to take a few steps backwards, then turn and go to her bags. She packed her notebook back in and pulled her camera bag across her body. She grabbed her school bag and held it in front of her, heading to the door. 

“Where do you think you’re going?” A voice came from behind.

Ame froze. She had hoped to slip out and get home quickly. She turned around to see Oikawa a few steps behind her.

“Ah, sorry. I uh, have someone to meet so I've got to go.” _He won’t buy this._

He didn’t, “Why don’t I walk you there? There’s more information I can share about the team.”

“Thank you but I’d hate to trouble you. I’ll be back next practice for the rest!” Ame patted the air twice and turned, quickly bouncing out of the door.

She didn’t want to wait for his response because she knew she’d want to stay, and that wasn’t something she was ready for. She was worried he’d start asking questions about more than just volleyball. He _did_ call her Tachi-chan earlier.

Once she was past the school gate, Ame tilted her head to the sky and let out an exasperated sigh. She lifted her hands and rubbed her eyes until she saw stars. She took a deep breath and looked back down the road. She just had to make it home. Then she could curl up and sleep this off. She still felt nervous from interacting with Oikawa. She was also nervous that he would bring up Mika-chan and the club, that he’d call her out for basically hiding from him, that he’d remember the winter passing where she first saw him. 

She wasn’t ready to face that. She had barely come to terms with the fact that Chocolate Hair was none other than the school’s pretty boy Toru Oikawa. She had told Kanade about seeing the group of boys during the winter, and she had named off most of them. They were in fact all on the volleyball team. Now Oikawa had recognized her and she honestly didn’t know what to do. She was probably crazy for turning down his offer to walk her. Any other girl would kill for that, but Ame was terrified. 

She had gotten lost in her fear when her phone chimed at her. It was a text from Kanade. The girls had changed names in each other's phones so it took her a bit to adjust. 

_Ka-chan <3 _

_How did it go? Get any good photos?_

_Acchan~_

_Yeah, plenty of a certain ace._

_Ka-chan <3 _

_Ame-chaaaaan share with me!_

_Acchan~_

_Buy me dinner first._

Ame was really enjoying teasing her cousin with the fact she could spend time with her crush Iwaizumi. She went back and forth if she should help them get together, like in some teenage romance manga. The girls texted during Ame’s entire walk home. 

She was thankful when she could slip off her shoes and plop down on her plush couch. She propped her legs on the armrest, still texting and just enjoying the quiet. She told Kanade about the time at practice. As soon as she said she basically ran from Oikawa her phone rang. Ame held it away from her ear and answered it.

“Aaaaaame what the hell were you thinking?!” A scream came out of the speaker.

“I...I wasn’t okay?!” She yelled back.

“Oh my god you’re so stupid.”

“Wow you’re such a shit.” 

Kanade laughed loudly. She wasn’t making Ame feel any better. 

“Alright, I’m sorry. But come on, it’s your chocolate hair dream boy and you turned him down?!” Kanade questioned.

“Stop that! You’re making me sound just as bad as those fangirls! He’s not my dream boy. All I said was he’s gorgeous and now I know he’s really nice and kinda fun and a total tease.” 

“You’re not like them I promise. You’re not crazy over him. But if he makes the great Ame Tachibana nervous then he definitely means something to you!”

“Yeah, and the fact that he wanted to walk me to whoever I was meeting and I denied him is gonna definitely show I’m not interested.” Ame slapped her cheek, groaning.

“No it won’t! If you were nervous he’ll just think that.” Kanade tried comforting her. 

The girls went back and forth about the topic. Ame eventually brought up just how many action photos she got of Iwaizumi and Kanade squealed in the phone. While they spoke Ame got ready for bed, and once she crawled in the girls said goodbye, and Ame passed out seconds later.

\----------

Toru was baffled to say the least. Ame had come up to him to talk during practice. She had teased him like he did her. She had hung around when the guys came to chit chat. So just _what_ had made her so nervous she left in a hurry? He racked his brain trying to figure it out. Had he made her nervous when he offered to walk her? Would that really make a girl so nervous? Ame didn’t seem to be interested in him like his “fangirls” were, and she wasn’t mindlessly hanging around just him all practice. She shared her time evenly unless she had questions, which made sense since he was captain.

She probably recognized him from that cold winter day. He had noticed the way she hid from him after the first time they met at the club. He assumed she was there to pick up her younger sister or cousin, or maybe niece like he did with Takeru. He was curious why she hid, why she never looked at him and how she had seemed to rush home to change out of her uniform just to rush over and pick up the little girl. Maybe calling her out with Tachi-chan was a little much.

He rubbed his eyes, still thinking as he made it home. Nothing came to mind on what could make her leave, but he wasn’t giving up yet. He decided to make it his goal to get her number or email by the time summer break started. He had four weeks left. That shouldn’t be too hard. Girls were easy to get these things from. He had a satisfied grin as he settled down to sleep. 

\---

The next practice Ame showed up to was Tuesday of the next week. She was on her phone when she entered, trying to hide it with her hair. She threw her school bag against the wall and let it fall, before dropping her camera bag on top. She then crouched down slowly to her bags, resting her right knee on the ground while her left was still up. 

Oikawa could see her eyes narrow as she mumbled into the phone, trying to hide her words. She ended the call quickly and dug out her camera, walking away before turning back to pull out a lens and attach it. He could see something was bothering her. She didn't seem the type to just _forget_ a lens, and her brows were knitted together as she walked to the coaches.

He got back to practice as she spoke to coach Irihata before he called out to Kunimi to come over. Even with her previous troubled face, Ame hid it well under her familiar warm smile. Kunimi held his bored expression as she spoke. Then he nodded and walked away back to the court, with her following. 

_I see Kunimi is her piece this week,_ He thought, and was taken aback by the bitterness he felt over it. He shouldn’t care who she photographs. She had to cover everyone anyway...so why wasn’t she asking him? He was so caught up in his thoughts he didn’t realize she was talking to him until Iwaizumi pushed his shoulder.

“What the heck, Iwa-chan?!”

“Don’t be rude, Shittykawa!”

“Huh? What're you talking about?” He rubbed his shoulder before glancing over. The rest of the team was staring at him, along with Ame. 

“Oikawa.. I was wondering if you could help set for Kunimi? Yahaba and some others are practicing serving...” She bounced on her toes, clearly nervous.

“Oh, y-yeah of course!” He said, trying to give his usual smile but it faltered. 

Ame tilted her head up and narrowed her eyes at him when no one else could see, but it didn’t last long before she turned away to stand on the sidelines and prepare to get shots of the wing spiker. He gulped, rubbing his hands together. He was not a fan of that look or how it made him feel.

He did his best to keep the practice going smoothly but his eyes were lingering on Ame much longer than he wanted. He watched the way her eyes shimmered in the light watching Kunimi jump and spike. He clenched his jaw every time she praised him and he smiled in return. He flinched every time he caught Iwaizumi glaring at him. 

Oikawa was well aware something was off. Maybe he just needed more practice, or more sleep. Or both. He wasn’t sure but he wasn’t going to let this keep going. He tried to keep the rest of practice as normal as possible, but he couldn’t avoid a few smacks or harsh words from Iwaizumi. 

Practice was winding down because Ame finally stepped back to her bags to pack up. He’d subconsciously picked up her routine from the past few weeks of her being here. She’d be done taking photos, then he assumed she would filter through them tonight because she came in the next day to show her favorite shots to the player, and the final day would be her asking each player questions about themselves for the paper. 

He set a few more for the boys before they decided to wrap up. Ame was taking longer than usual to leave while the boys cleaned up the gym. He almost thought he’d be able to talk to her and took a few steps before Iwa, Mattsun and Makki intercepted him and pushed him to the clubroom. They didn’t see the scowl on his face since it was replaced in a flash by his bright smile. A few of the first years were hanging back to finish, and just before he stepped out he saw Ame pick up her bags and wave to them before following his group out. He went to the clubroom while she went to the front gate. 

\---

Oikawa mentally kicked himself. If Oikawa wanted to talk to someone, he did it. He didn’t care if he’s friends wanted to talk, or practice, or do anything. He went up and spoke to them. So what in the _hell_ was keeping him from speaking to Ame? 

She was standing by the wall with Kunimi, taking up his time with the small interview she needed, but he had yet to even greet her all afternoon. They were half way through practice and he couldn’t focus. It was Thursday, and that meant this was the last practice Ame would be at until next Tuesday, if she stuck to her schedule that was.

He was determined to say something to her. Once the boys took a break, he decided he’d go and speak with her. He hyped himself up as he drank some water. Kunimi had come back to practice and she was standing alone now. He plastered that famous charming smile and strolled over.

“Yoo-hoo Ame!” He called with a quick wave.

Ame looked up from her notebook, a smile adorning her face when she saw him, “Hey there Oikawa!”

“Please, call me Toru.”

She only nodded and kept smiling, going back to her work. Oikawa stood for a few minutes. He was dumbfounded by the sudden dryness of his throat. Did he not drink enough water? 

He cleared his throat, “So, uh, how’s your piece going?” 

“Really well!” 

“O-oh that’s good.”

“Mhm.”

Oikawa stared at her, utterly baffled. _He_ was at a loss for words. Oikawa was never one to be at a loss for words and yet, the day finally came. He wasn’t usually the one to initiate conversation, since most girls started that for him. This girl not only wouldn’t do that, she barely looked at him while speaking. He opened his mouth to speak again, almost grasping at straws.

“Do you-” He was cut off. 

A shaky voice echoed through the gym yelling _Ame-senpai_. Both he and Ame looked towards the door to see a small girl with bright blonde hair and wide eyes looking around. The instant she spotted them she ran over, and Ame walked quickly to the girl.

“Hey, hey what’s wrong? Just breath okay.” Ame cooed, leaning to be eye level with her. She reached up and petted the girl’s hair. Now that she was closer it was easy to see the blonde was panting and shaking. Ame’s words seemed to soothe her a little as she leaned on her shoulder, “Kyo what happened?”

Oikawa took a few steps back, narrowing his eyes. He was about to say something again before he noticed the rest of the boys had stopped to watch the scene. He sighed.

“Girls, sorry to interrupt but the boys won’t stop staring. Maybe take this somewhere more private.” He stated, colder than he planned. 

Both girls glanced over to the court. Ame suddenly got moving by walking over to her bags and shoving her notebook inside. She slung both bags on her shoulders, bowed with an apology to Oikawa, before grabbing the younger girl’s wrist and dragging her out. Toru watched them leave with narrowed eyes before going back to practice. 

He put the frustration from Ame leaving into his serves and spikes, not backing down even when Iwaizumi scolded him. He knew he was staying for extra practice but he didn’t care. He’d serve just as hard then too. He was frustrated and couldn’t decipher why. 

\---

Oikawa had calmed down from Thursday by the time Monday rolled around and he was nearly over the curiosity of Ame abruptly leaving with that girl. That was until he saw Ame walking the halls with the same blonde girl from then. She seemed to never leave her side now. Wherever Ame was, so was this girl. Even at lunchtime, Ame sat with a group of girls outside and a few feet away the blonde was with her group. What was going on? Why _on earth_ couldn’t she leave Ame alone for him to talk to her? He usually didn’t mind but he wasn’t sure how Ame would react with him just strolling up asking for her number, and he didn’t want her to be embarrassed.

The last thing he needed was her to shut herself off from him. Especially since they had to see each other during practice. Practice was turning out to be the best time to speak with her, yet it wasn’t enough. Something was wrong. Something was wrong with Oikawa. He found himself hesitating more and more when it came to talking with Ame. He wouldn’t approach her with his megawatt smile and flirty nature and perfectly fluffed hair. He couldn’t. The thought of just speaking to her about anything but volleyball made him nervous. 

_Nervous._

That’s it. Oikawa was nervous to talk to Ame. Since when was Oikawa Toru nervous? Oikawa didn’t get nervous talking to anyone, let alone girls. So what could possibly be different about Ame? Oikawa shook his head to scatter the thoughts. He refused to believe it. 

Then he remembered today was Monday. He had to teach at Takeru’s club today. There was a little girl that just so happened to be picked up by Ame there too. Oikawa determined he’d get his chance today and talk to her. 

That thought worked to cheer him up throughout the school day and even during the teaching at the club. He noticed the girl Ame always came for, Mika, was interested in learning volleyball too. He invited her in and was glad to see she fit right in with the rest of the kids. He watched as she and his nephew played together until it was time to go. Once they started to pack up Oikawa felt that familiar feeling in his stomach. Was this what his fangirls felt when they mustered up the courage to talk to him?

Oikawa walked towards the courtyard with Takeru and Mika playing in front of him. At this rate, Ame had no choice but to at least acknowledge he was there. 

\----------

Ame did not expect to be panicking the first day of the school week, but here she was: hiding in the bathroom during class trying to calm herself down. Most of the day went by without a problem until the second to last class before school was over. Ame hadn’t thought about her after school plans. She didn’t need to. Every Monday she left school, went home to change, picked up Mika-chan and walked her home. Except this Monday was different. Ame hadn’t seen the problem until it was too late. Now she was panicking.

Having spent enough time in the bathroom she slowly stepped out, washed her hands, and slowly made her way back to class. Ame had to make a sacrifice today. Either be late picking up Mika-chan or suck it up and go to the club she was in with her uniform on. She wouldn’t have enough time to change. But the thought of disappointing the little girl made her feel sick. She sat back down in class with a sigh, her decision made. 

Once the final bell rang, Ame gathered her things quickly and hurried out of her class to the floors below. Since late last week she has taken it upon herself to walk Kyoko home. The first year had come to her looking for advice on a very pushy third year. She wouldn’t give more information than that yet, being too nervous. Ame just agreed and gave her time to open up on her own. But in the meantime she was walking with her to every class, walking her home or making sure someone was with her, and even having her near at lunch. 

Ame didn’t mind, but it was putting a strain on her timing. Now it was impacting things outside of school and Ame calculated if she ran from Kyoko’s house to the club she could make it with a few minutes to spare. If she was fast enough maybe she could make time to change.

 _I’m not prepared for that amount of running…_ The thought lingered as she met Kyoko at the school entrance. Ame waited as she said goodbye to her friends before the blonde joined her. 

“Well, how was the day?” She asked after they were alone and away from the school.

“It was good. Quiet like last week.”

“Oh that’s good. Do you think it’s working?”

Kyoko was gripping her bag strap tightly. Ame had also noticed she kept glancing backwards. She felt bad this poor girl was getting so nervous. 

“Kyo, calm down okay? I’m here with you. It sounds like whoever this is won’t approach you unless you’re alone.”

“Y-yeah you’re right… I guess, I owe you an explanation now.”

Ame looked over, quieting down to give the blonde time to gather her words. With a deep breath, Kyoko spoke.

“Okay two weeks ago this third year named Tamaki caught me on the stairs and said he l-likes me and wants to date but I didn’t even know who he was so I said no thanks and ran away a-and I was so nervous so I tried avoiding him but he found me and kept asking and last week when I found you it was because he caught me on the way home and demanded I be his g-girlfriend but I said no and ran away and I knew you were at the gym so I’m sorry for interrupting but I was so scared…” Kyoko rambled, worrying Ame if she even took a breath. 

Ame processed the information, wracking her brain to see if she recognized the name Tamaki. It didn’t sound familiar, but nonetheless she was absolutely furious. Maybe she was a little oblivious because she hadn’t noticed any students actively watching Kyoko. She would need some help to find him and keep him away from her friend now. 

“I see,” Ame finally spoke, “Now you’re scared to be alone in case he corners you again?”

“Y-yeah. I just...I already said no but he keeps showing up and I don’t know what else to do. I thought if another third year was with me he would leave me alone but…” She mumbled the last part.

“What was that?” Ame leaned down to look at her, giving her a smile in hopes to reassure her.

“But I know you can’t do this all year!”

“You’re right about that..but it’s okay. We’ll figure this out together okay?”

The girls finally arrived at Kyoko’s home about 15 away from the school. Ame patted Kyoko’s head, reassuring her that everything will be okay. She didn’t seem concerned about walking in the morning so Ame promised to walk her home tomorrow too. Once the girl was inside, Ame made sure she was out of her house’s view before stopping. 

She stood for a few minutes, looking down at her phone. It was 15 minutes back to the school, 12 minutes towards her house, and an extra 20 minutes to the club. That was by walking at a leisurely pace. The walk with Kyoko had taken longer this time but Ame could just make it if she ran, like she determined earlier. 

Putting her phone away, she gripped her bag tightly and took a few deep breaths before she started running. She took it slow at least to get a good pace, then sped up. She was at the school in no time and continued towards her house. Ame ignored the looks some students leaving late gave her. She took the times she stopped at crosswalks to catch her breath, not that she was out of shape but she rarely ran anymore and it was an odd feeling. But she was feeling okay and felt confident. That was until she came upon her house. 

She was here, could she have time to stop? Ame slowed down at her gate and checked the time. She was still behind but she also hadn’t thought about how bad her feet would hurt running in her school shoes. At the last minute she bolted to her door, unlocking it and slamming it shut as she kicked off her shoes, tossed her bag down, and ran to her room while striping her uniform off. She left a trail of her clothes across her room to her closet, being sure she may have ripped a button or two while removing her lilac button up. 

Once stripped of everything but her stockings to hide her knee, Ame grabbed a pair of black jean shorts and slipped them on. She pulled out a teal t-shirt with a white paper airplane outline on the upper left side, where a pocket would be, and pulled it on. She was frantic around the room looking for a small white bag she used when shopping. When she couldn’t find it, she ran into the kitchen and spotted it on the counter. She grabbed it and rushed back to the door, yanking her schoolbag open and stealing her phone from it and stuffing it in her other bag.

She sat and pulled on some black running shoes before running out the door. She didn’t check the time, she couldn’t. Ame knew she’d be late but maybe Mika was still playing and didn’t notice. She felt the hot summer wind tangling her hair, and the heat in her cheeks from running was met with the afternoon sun. She was just thankful it wasn’t exhausting heat yet.

Thankfully she made it to the club soon and stopped at the bottom of the stairs to catch her breath. While running she hadn’t noticed, but now that she was still she felt her knee beginning to burn. She took a few deep breaths, running up the stairs to use as an excuse. Once she reached the top, she heard the familiar sound of her nickname.

“Tachi-chan!” Mika yelled across the courtyard while running towards her.

“Mika-chan!” Ame knelt down and held her arms out, taking the impact of the little girl hugging her, “How was the club today?”

“It was so fun! I played with Takeru-kun and Oikawa-san!”

“O-oh did you? What did you play?”

“Oikawa-san was teaching volleyball and I played too.”

Ame looked up to see Oikawa and a young boy walking towards them. _Of course, of all days to finally have to talk._ She let go of Mika and braced her hands on her thighs, pushing herself to stand with a faint wince. She’d have hell to pay tonight. Mika looked over and waved at them again. 

“Tachi-chan this is Takeru-kun and Oikawa-san!” 

“It’s nice to meet you Takeru-san.” She bowed at him, smiling as he puffed his chest from the more respectful tag, “And it’s good to see you Oikawa. I see why you don’t have Monday practice.” She giggled.

Ame looked down as Mika gasped, looking between the two before pulling on Ame’s arm,

“Y-you know Oikawa-san?!” 

“We go to the same school.”

“Aaaahhh that’s so cool! Can you teach me volleyball too then?!”

“Sorry Mika-chan, you’ll have to leave that to Oikawa.”

Mika-chan pouted before gasping again, “He can teach you too then!” The little girl turned to Oikawa looking hopeful, “Right? We can all learn!”

Ame blinked, feeling her cheeks heat up. Kids and their wild ideas. She glanced up at Oikawa and noticed his cheeks were a little pink too. He smiled down at Mika with a nod.

“Of course, we can’t leave her out!”

“You’re quite busy, I’d hate to take up your time.”

“I’m never too busy to teach volleyball. Especially for you.”

“W-We’ll see Oikawa.”

Ame took a few steps back and turned half way. She felt herself getting more nervous the longer she looked at him and she didn’t want him to notice, especially her now red cheeks from his comment.

“Come on Mika-chan. We have to stop at the store, remember? Say goodbye.”

Ame waved to the two boys, and maybe it was her imagination, but she thought she saw a frown on Oikawa’s face. She paused at the top of the stairs to wait for Mika, using the time to prepare herself for the stairs and walking ahead. Once Mika ran down the stairs ahead, Ame took a few steps down. Her shoulders tensed and back straightened at the pressure. But she didn’t let Mika see as she caught up with her and the girls headed to the supermarket down the street. 

They took their time going through the store, going off the list Ame had gotten from Mika’s grandma in the morning. Once they were done, they had quite a few bags but Ame made sure to keep the heavier ones. By the time they made it back to Mika’s home it was dusk. Ame brought the bags inside for the girl’s grandma, and was surprised to be invited for dinner. But she didn’t deny it and tried to help Sho, Mika’s grandma, cook while also trying to keep Mika entertained. 

It was a nice time and Ame was more than happy to take some leftovers. It was dark out when Ame crossed the street to her home, and it was kind of scary inside the house. She quickly turned a few lights on, put the food in the fridge, and started cleaning up her uniform scattered around her hall and room. She tossed them in the hamper to be washed. She grabbed a set of shorts and a t-shirt as pajamas and went to the bathroom to shower. The hot water surely helped her knee, but it was absolutely throbbing now. Once she was dressed and her hair set to dry, Ame went to the kitchen and grabbed a bag of frozen peas and a water bottle.

Also grabbing her school bag from the genkan, she went back to her room and set herself up at her desk. She propped her knee up and laid the bag of peas over it, making an exaggerated gasp at the coldness on her bare skin. Then she spread her books and school work across her desk, grabbed her headphones, and prepared for a long night of work. 

\----------

Oikawa was confused but happy when Ame finally showed up Thursday and was in her usual spot in the corner of the gym. He was tense the moment he saw her. He’d been irritated the few practices after Ame ran off last week, but had calmed down since he saw her Monday even if it was short. Now that she was here again, he didn’t know what to do with himself. His attempts to speak to her last time didn’t work and he hadn’t been able to catch her during school thanks to his fangirls, his time was running out.

Now it seemed like everything was against him because he finally noticed the young blonde girl sitting against the wall. Ame kneeled and spoke a few words, only getting up and leaving once she got a nod from the girl, and headed to the coaches for her next player to shoot. Oikawa couldn’t help his heart from fluttering as the coach called him over. But it quickly faded when he also called their second setter, Yahaba Shigeru, over as well. He could feel the bitterness rising as he met Ame and the coaches the same time Yahaba did.

“Alright Yahaba, Ame here needs to photograph you this week. Oikawa, I’ll need you to stay in and set for the boys today.” Coach Irihata said.

Oikawa clenched his hands so hard he felt his nails dig in, before relaxing and flashing a smile, “Of course coach!”

He turned away, glancing at Ame as he did so. What he didn’t expect was her to be staring at him with pink cheeks. She flashed a smile that melted his bitterness away for those few moments, but the instant he turned to the court he felt it again. He’d be stuck here while Yahaba was setting _for her._

Oikawa rolled his shoulders and went through practice. His eyes lingering on Ame whenever he could spare it. He had noticed her attention was sometimes directed to the girl in the corner, who sat there and, he guessed, did her homework with the amount of books she had. 

Suddenly Oikawa wasn’t as bitter. Yahaba only got a day, maybe two, with Ame and her total attention wasn’t on him. He was setting nicely and Ame was there to capture all of it, but if she had to show up tomorrow to finish, then he had one more shot this week to talk with her. Maybe she’d moved onto setters and he’d be next.

The rest of practice went a lot better than Oikawa had though. He wasn’t too distracted this time by Ame and Yahaba and didn't even have the guilt to follow. He was happy they didn’t get as much time together. He was hoping she would ask him next. It gave him almost too much confidence. His spikes were powerful and his receives were perfect and his sets were just right. Oikawa wasn’t even that sad when he noticed Ame was talking to the other girl again. They were packing up their bags, Ame heading to the coaches to bow goodbye before walking out with the blonde in tow. 

“Oikawa, nice job in practice today.” Iwaizumi’s voice came from behind him. 

“Aw thanks Iwa-chan.”

“Did something happen?”

“Not yet,” He sang, “But I have a feeling it will.”

Oikawa had faced Iwa while speaking, and noticed when he cocked an eyebrow at his hopeful words. Oikawa just shook his head in response and started joking around with the other third years. He was too happy to let even Iwaizumi’s weird looks or smacks put him down. He was _so sure_ next week would be his week with Ame. A couple weeks before summer break and it was all working out.

Oikawa was nearly prancing around everywhere he went. To the coaches to speak with them, to the clubroom after practice, and even on the walk home he was bouncing a little more than usual. 

“Okay spill it. What’s going on?” Iwaizumi asked. 

“I’m just happy Iwachan!”

“About what?”

“I bet next week Miss Ame will ask for _my_ photos!”

Iwaizumi stopped walking, both eyebrows raised in confusion. Oikawa took a few more steps before stopping as well, turning to face Iwa with a wide smile. 

“And that makes you so happy because…?”

“It’ll be my turn to be with her!”

“Oikawa do you..like Ame?”

Oikawa stepped back, staring at Iwaizumi. He was thoroughly taken back by his question. Thinking for a few minutes, he made a dismissive gesture.

“No way Iwachan! Why? Do _you_ like her?”

“What no way! You’ve just been acting weird lately. Especially around her.”

“I guess… I mean, I do pay attention to her-”

“I've noticed, you’re getting distracted and nothing distracts you from the game.”

Oikawa cleared his throat, feeling his cheeks heat up. If Iwaizumi noticed then who else did? Was he being that obvious? Could Ame have noticed too? He rubbed the back of his neck and started walking again, Iwa following beside.

“Okay..maybe I do get distracted watching her, and I haven't approached her since last week because I’ve been getting nervous to, and when I do talk to her she just looks at me with those beautiful green eyes so I forget what to say to her.”

“I cannot believe the great Shittykawa has a crush on someone!” Iwaizumi started laughing after Oikawa said that, making Oikawa pout.

“So mean Iwa-chan!” Oikawa knew his blush was even darker now. 

Oikawa took a few large steps away from him and huffed. He stuffed his hands in his jacket pockets, looking away when Iwaizumi was next to him again trying to apologize. Oikawa quickly gave up though and the boys started chatting about other things. Oikawa could think about this alone. They split ways and Oikawa took the entire time from then until he slept thinking about Iwaizumi’s words.

**Author's Note:**

> Yoo-hoo. Thank you for reading and for your support! Come chat on tumblr~


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